“It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track,” Australia coach says of Nathan Lyon’s eight-for in Indore

Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-20232:19

Chappell: Getting India out cheaply in the first innings was key

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald believes the team’s success in the Indore Test shows there is a core group of players who are learning what it takes to win in the subcontinent and can set the side up for greater success in the future.”One hour of chaos” in Delhi, as McDonald termed it, cost Australia the chance of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but having taken the opportunity to refresh and regroup during the long break before the third Test, they secured one of their finest overseas victories as they beat India at their own game on a pitch rated “poor” by the ICC.As a result, Australia have secured their place in the World Test Championship final, during a cycle that has also included Test wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and they now have the chance of levelling the series in Ahmedabad.Related

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They don’t head back to India for another Test series until 2027 and a number of a senior players are unlikely to return, but they will visit Sri Lanka in 2025 and the likes of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne and Todd Murphy have many subcontinent tours ahead of them.”Usman Khawaja’s performances here are probably tied back to his first experience in the subcontinent, Steve Smith as well,” McDonald said. “Everyone’s journey starts at some point in time on the subcontinent, and I think there’s a core group of players that will come back here more experienced and, in theory, better equipped for the challenges. We’re talking about a series here where we’ve had certain conditions that probably aren’t relatable to any other subcontinent tour over time, so it’s always a different challenge when you do arrive here.”Australia keep calm after another collapseAustralia did suffer another batting collapse in Indore, losing 6 for 11 on the second day to miss the chance to build an overwhelming lead. But they retained their composure and, led by Nathan Lyon’s eight wickets, kept the pressure on India before making a target of 76 appear simpler than appeared likely.”You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India. I think this game besides that 6 for 11 was near perfect,” McDonald said. “We had a little bit of luck. Marnus getting bowled off a no-ball, how critical was that at that point in time, [and] that allowed a partnership to flourish. We took our opportunities as well. Usman’s flying catch and then Smudge [Smith] winding back the clock with that one at leg slip. You compare that to the Delhi game where Smudge dropped one at first slip and then we dropped one at leg slip in Matthew Renshaw, and they were critical.”We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we’d played pretty good cricket. We came here and doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve at the start of the tour.”So on the back of Delhi, it was ‘how clear are we going to be in what we need to do next’. Is this team good enough? Yes. What do we need to do next? We’d lost 6 for 11, nothing we can do about that. We go out there and Nathan Lyon as the experienced spinner delivers one of his best performances. It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track, no doubt about that.”Alex Carey whips the bails off to send Rohit Sharma back in the first innings•BCCI

Praise for Alex Carey’s wicketkeepingAmid the headline-grabbing performances of Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann, Khawaja and Head, McDonald picked out Alex Carey for special praise after his display of wicketkeeping on the devilish surface. He only conceded three byes for the match where some deliveries leapt while others scuttled and McDonald viewed his stumping of Rohit Sharma, the first wicket of the Test, as a vital moment.”One part that hasn’t been spoken about enough is Alex Carey’s keeping,” he said. “I think that on day one, that ball to Sharma, that high take, that stumping, if he doesn’t execute that Sharma gets a look at the wicket, he plays differently and the game rolls in a different direction.”I think sometimes we are quick to criticise wicketkeepers. In this instance, I thought that day one was an absolute clinic and gave us control of the game. We saw [KS] Bharat miss a couple of half-chances, or get his leg in the way of balls that could have gone to first slip. So I thought that was a key moment in the game.””I think the more extreme the conditions, the less the toss is relevant”•Getty Images

Pitches make the toss irrelevantMcDonald remained diplomatic about the pitch in Indore, saying that all the players could do was perform on whatever surface they were given, but did say conditions had been “extreme”. However, as in Pune in 2017, it likely helped narrow the gap between the teams.”I think you can see that in the fact that all three games have been won against the toss, teams batting first have lost, and that’s rare,” he said. “It’s usually pretty hard to win against the toss but here we’ve seen three matches go that way. I think the more extreme the conditions, the less the toss is relevant.”Before the third Test, Rohit had floated the notion of India asking for a green pitch in Ahmedabad if they had secured their place in the WTC final. Now they still require a victory to be assured of meeting Australia at The Oval, although if Sri Lanka don’t win against New Zealand in the Test that runs concurrently in Christchurch, the result won’t matter. Regardless, McDonald felt the pressure in the series has now been switched.”I don’t think we know what we’re going to get in Ahmedabad, I don’t think anyone does,” he said with a hint of a smile. “But we’ve definitely put some pressure into that change room. Full credit to the guys. [It’s] great reward for a group that over the past couple of weeks have had their challenges.”

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has revised its financial distribution model and increased the share for cash-strapped Afghanistan from Asia Cup earnings. Afghanistan became a Full Member of the ICC in 2017, but had been earning a lower share from the last two Asia Cups held in 2018 and 2022, with other Full Members in Asia divvying up the earnings equally.But with a new distribution model now in place, all Asian Test-playing nations including Afghanistan will be getting equal amounts from the ACC – that will effectively raise Afghanistan’s share from 6% to 15%. The other Full Members of the ACC – Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – will be getting a lesser share than before to accommodate the rise in Afghanistan’s revenue. Thus, the five Full Members will be getting 15% each, with the remaining amount to be distributed among Associates and Affiliates.”The increase in our ACC funding will greatly benefit the technical as well as the administrative aspects of Afghanistan Cricket,” Mirwais Ashraf, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chairman told ESPNcricinfo. “We are grateful for the support of the ACC and its member countries, and look forward to utilising these resources for taking Afghan cricket forward.Related

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“This is a major move in our favour, and we are confident that this increased funding will contribute significantly to the continued growth and success of this game in our country.”The increase, agreed upon at the recent ACC meeting in Bahrain, could not have come at a better time for the ACB (Afghanistan Cricket Board). Last October, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the ACB had plunged into a financial crisis as cash flow from their ICC revenue share hit a snag because of international sanctions. As a result, the ACB hasn’t been able pay full salaries to its staff for two months, and has also had to cancel a domestic regional one-day tournament.However, it found local sponsors and government funding, and managed to get back on its feet with cash starting to flow in December. The ICC also pays Afghanistan’s operational costs (from their share of ICC funds) incurred outside Afghanistan by mainly paying players, and also vendors engaged in hosting their games in the UAE. The ACB has also come under increased scrutiny and pressure for having made no progress with women’s cricket – a functioning women’s cricket team is a requirement for Full Member status with the ICC. Discussions on that are expected at the next ICC board meetings in March.

Afghanistan seek more bilateral cricket

What will also help is more bilateral cricket, and the PCB has reaffirmed its commitment to play a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in March. That series came about after Australia’s pullout of three scheduled ODIs to be played against Afghanistan in the UAE in the same window.In an ACC meeting in Bahrain last week, the Afghanistan delegation led by Ashraf and ACB’s CEO Naseeb Khan discussed the possibility of playing more bilateral cricket. Pakistan was the first country to accept playing a series, although it is believed the PCB had to persuade its government to give the go-ahead, given the complex geo-political ties between the two countries at the moment.The other lingering concern was over the crowd hostility during matches between the two nations. The last few games between the two sides – including those at the 2019 World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the Asia Cup last year – has seen unprecedented disturbances break out among the spectators.The idea of playing Afghanistan was raised last month, with the PCB chairman Najam Sethi asserting that “politics and cricket shouldn’t be mixed up” after Australia’s withdrawal from playing Afghanistan because of the Taliban’s “further restrictions on women’s and girls’ education” in the country. Thus, the PCB and ACB instead found a window to play in, with both countries to equally share broadcast revenue.

Botagofo boss Renato Pavia has responded to speculation Cristiano Ronaldo could be heading to Brazil in time for the Club World Cup.

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Ronaldo near end of Al-Nassr contractHas received offer ahead of Club World CupBrazilian side react to transfer talkFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Portugal superstar's future at Al-Nassr has become uncertain as he's yet to win a trophy in Saudi Arabia and has seen his side fail to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite. According to Marca, Ronaldo has now received a "major offer" from a Brazilian team which would also include the possibility of playing at the 2025 Club World Cup.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Botafogo boss Renato Pavia has been quizzed on the possibility of bringing in Ronaldo in time for the competition. His team are one of four Brazilian sides in the tournament and will take their place at the competition in the United States along with Fluminense, Flamengo and Palmeiras. Pavia made it clear he would love Ronaldo in his team but didn't seem too confident that such a deal could take place.

WHAT RENATO PAVIA SAID

He told a press conference: "Christmas is only in December … But if he came, you can't say no to a star like that. I don't know anything. I'm just answering the question. But, as I said, coaches always want the best. Ronaldo, even at his age, is still a goal-scoring machine. In a team that creates chance after chance, he would be good."

He then added Botafogo's American owner John Textor should be asked instead: "That question needs to be asked in another language, not in Portuguese…(laughs). Great players are always welcome, as long as they come to add to the squad, which I am very happy with at the moment."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO

Ronaldo's future is in the spotlight as his contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of June. The 40-year-old has yet to sign a new deal with the Saudi side, meaning his spell in the Middle East could be heading towards an end.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has issued an apology after sharing a social media post but some BBC staff are fuming he has not been sacked.

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• Lineker criticised for sharing offensive post
• TV host has issued apology
• Some BBC staff want him to be sacked

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former England star has come in for criticism after he shared a post on Instagram. The post was from the Palestine Lobby group, showed a picture of a rat and was titled: "Zionism explained in two minutes." Lineker has since deleted the post from his account.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Lineker's post has sparked fury among some staff at the BBC, according to . Some have told the newspaper that the corporation's failure to sack Lineker for his latest actions is "deeply upsetting to its Jewish staff." One Jewish staff member added: "It is quite simply disgusting that the BBC has not kicked Lineker out. His repeated offensiveness to Jewish people has clearly brought the BBC into disrepute. The interpretation of Zionism he has shared is anti-Semitic and the fact that the BBC thinks it’s acceptable is deeply upsetting to its Jewish staff, myself included.”

• WHAT LINEKER SAID

  Lineker has apologised for his actions in a statement: "On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in. The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue. Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.”

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• WHAT THE BBC SAID

  Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC, has been quizzed about the controversy and offered up the following response: "The BBC's reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us. And I think we absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that."

  A spokesperson for Lineker said the Match of the Day host "did not notice" the image when he shared the video. He said: "Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post. Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.”

Ravindra Jadeja stays on top of the allrounder charts, with Ashwin in second place

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2023India offspinner R Ashwin has replaced England’s James Anderson as the No. 1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings.Ashwin’s rise was the result of him taking six wickets in the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Delhi, and he has the opportunity to extend his lead at the top in the remaining two Tests of the series.Anderson had displaced Australia’s Pat Cummins as the No. 1 bowler on February 22, after taking seven wickets in the first Test against New Zealand. At the age of 40, he was the oldest top-ranked bowler since Australian legspinner Clarrie Grimmett in 1936. However, Anderson took only three wickets in the second Test against New Zealand, which wasn’t enough to hold off Ashwin’s surge up the charts.Related

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Live Report – India vs Australia, 3rd Test, Indore

India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi have moved up one spot each to fourth and fifth in the latest rankings update, despite neither bowler having played a Test since July last year. This is because England’s Ollie Robinson has dropped down two spots to No. 6.India’s left-arm spinning allrounder Ravindra Jadeja moved to eighth in the Test bowling rankings following his Player-of-the-Match performance – 10 wickets and 26 runs – in the Delhi Test against Australia. He also leads the Test rankings for allrounders, with Ashwin in second place.England’s Joe Root moved up to eighth in the allrounder’s rankings and also to third in the rankings for batters, after scoring 153* and 95 in the Wellington Test last week. Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith are first and second among Test batters.Harry Brook, after playing just six Tests, has already jumped to 16th place among batters, level with Virat Kohli. Brook has scored 809 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 98.77.

Steven Croft adds unbeaten fifty in match dominated by Surrey over first three days

Paul Edwards09-Apr-2023

Towards the end of the Amazon Prime video Sam Mendes risks challenging the film’s central figure, Ben Stokes, with a famous quotation from Albert Camus: “A man’s work is nothing but the slow trek to rediscover, though the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.” The experiment is not a success. “Dunno what you’re on about, mate,” says England’s Test captain.All the same, as Josh Bohannon made a match-saving century against Surrey this afternoon, one was reminded of Camus’ words by the pleasure the Lancashire batsman now takes from his sport and how he has blended simple enjoyment with professional accomplishment.It has not always been so. There was a time when Bohannon called his morning drive to Emirates Old Trafford “going to work” and when his cricket seemed inhibited by the intensity with which he played it. Some sessions with a sports psychologist followed and in time he was able to understand that dismissals were batting’s inevitable occupational hazards. That, of course, is not the same as tolerating the sort of sloppy cricket that led to his getting out in the first innings of this game; it is merely an acceptance of one of the truths of his chosen trade. It enables a cricketer to relax, to see his life in clearer proportion.Related

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Now Old Trafford on this final afternoon. Bohannon and Steven Croft have put on over a hundred runs for the third wicket but there is still a shedload of work to do if Lancashire are to save this game. What’s more, Sean Abbott and Kemar Roach are bowling short and nasty with at least three close fielders somewhere on the leg side. Bohannon fends one off and a half-smile plays across his face. At the end of the over he chats with Croft; they are two blood-Lancastrians at different stages of their careers. They punch gloves and then go back to their creases to dig in again.Eventually, the bowlers became tired and were replaced by part-time spinners. Bohannon came in to tea on 85 and Surrey’s scrap of hope now rested on the new ball. Before that could be taken, however, Rory Burns had to find somebody to send down a few “filler” overs and so absolutely nothing was more out of keeping with the temper of Bohannon’s innings than the ease with which he stroked Ollie Pope’s fifth ball in first-class cricket to the off-side boundary, thus reaching his century off 173 balls with his 14th four. To be truthful, though, you can disregard some statistics; it was Bohannon’s 173-run stand for the third wicket with Croft that mattered. As for Pope, his one over may already be a cricket society quiz questionHaving made 108, Bohannon opted not to play a ball from Dan Worrall that knocked out his off stump. It was a misjudgement and, although by no means his first, it barely mattered. Less than four overs later, the players were shaking hands with Croft taking quiet comfort from his third-fiddle innings of 56 not out. At that point, it was useful to recall that Surrey had dominated the first three days of this game and also that the pitch on which it had been played was as dry and true as any of Old Trafford’s April wickets in recent memory.And it was even more useful, perhaps, to remember the first session of this match, when the intensity of the cricket had offered a graphic rebuttal to those who deride the domestic game. For three quarters of an hour Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings resisted the accuracy of Surrey’s high-quality seamers with all the technical resources at their disposal. Nothing happened to disturb the calm of Easter Sunday morning apart from Wells clipping Worrall over square leg for six.Then both openers were winkled out in the space of seven balls. First Jennings, who had been cramped for room by Ben Foakes standing up and bowled off his pads by Jordan Clark in the first innings, was dismissed by the same combination when he played an indeterminate cut but only inside-edged the ball into his middle stump. They are dismissals that video-analysts around the circuit will be studying. Then Wells, having played capably for his 45 runs, pulled Kemar Roach straight to Worrall at long leg and, as ever with this batsman, felt the sins of the world on shoulders that were now hunched over his bat. Eventually the Lancashire opener hauled himself off the ground – but it took a while.And Surrey could have enjoyed further success. When he had made two, Bohannon nicked Abbott to slip where Pope put the two-handed chance down. The ball travelled quickly and it was a tough opportunity but one allowed oneself the thought that Easter Sunday morning was hardly the most apt time for any Pope to drop a bollock.Bohannon put the escape away and was soon enjoying the first of his many chats with Croft. As it happens, this was his 26th birthday and there were worse ways to celebrate it than batting with a mate and making a hundred. The achievement will have mattered to him – but not too much. Four years ago success and failure were everything. But then Josh was so much older then; he’s younger than that now.

Big Picture

A week ago, Royal Challengers Bangalore were languishing at the bottom of the table with zero wins. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, were riding high on top of the table with a perfect five. Mumbai had sealed their top-three spot while Royal Challengers’ chances were hanging by a thread. Earlier in the tournament, Mumbai had inflicted a heavy defeat on Royal Challengers the last time these teams had met.Royal Challengers have roared back in some style since then. After a win against UP Warriorz, they went on to thrash Gujarat Giants by eight wickets in a high-scorer. Mumbai, meanwhile, were handed their first defeat of the tournament by Warriorz.But following Warriorz’s win against Giants on Monday, Royal Challengers have been eliminated from the competition*. Mumbai will have to turn up in less than 24 hours for this encounter, so Royal Challengers will want to make use of this chance to finish the tournament on a high.Meanwhile, Mumbai, for their part, will want to hold on to the top spot which would give them a direct entry into the final. If Delhi Capitals beat them on Monday and go on to win their last league game against Warriorz, then there’s a chance Mumbai might not finish first.The teams’ respective captains – two Indian stalwarts – have had contrasting fortunes. Harmanpreet Kaur has 205 runs with three fifties while Smriti Mandhana has crossed 30 just twice. Can Mandhana outdo her opposite number this time around?

Players to Watch

Having impressed enough with her bowling, Issy Wong showcased her batting skills in the match against Warriorz with a 19-ball 32 to resurrect Mumbai’s innings. She has bowled superbly in the three games Mumbai have played at the DY Patil Sports Academy so far, making the most of the early swing on offer and finishing with figures of 1 for 7, 3 for 10 and 1 for 24 respectively. Her economy of 5.78 in the tournament is the second-best among players who’ve bowled a minimum of 15 overs.Sophie Devine delivered a banging performance against Giants, smashing eight sixes and nine fours on her way to a 36-ball 99. In Royal Challengers’ last two games, she’s been effective with the new ball as well – removing Warriorz’s openers in the first over and sending Giants’ Sophia Dunkley back in the third over.

Possible XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (c), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Issy Wong, 7 Humaira Kazi, 8 Dhara Gujjar, 9 Amanjot Kaur, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika IshaqueRoyal Challengers: 1 Sophie Devine, 2 Smriti Mandhana (capt.), 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Heather Knight, 5 Kanika Ahuja, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Shreyanka Patil, 8 Disha Kasat, 9 Sobhana Asha, 10 Megan Schutt, 11 Preeti Bose.

Stats and Trivia

• Saika Ishaque’s economy rate is 5.63, the best economy in the tournament so far (minimum 10 overs)
• Devine’s batting strike rate against spinners during her 99 off 36 balls was 336.36. She scored 74 runs off 22 balls against spin on the day
• Mumbai’s bowlers have taken the most wickets (16) in the powerplay while Royal Challengers bowlers have taken the least (8)

Quotes

“I’m so used to hearing chants for [Ellyse] Perry and [Smriti] Mandhana, and was feeling a bit left out. To hear your name and experience this atmosphere, it will stay with me for a very long time.”
Sophie Devine after her match-winning knock against Giants*1.30pm GMT – The story was updated after UP Warriorz’s match against Gujarat Giants to say Royal Challengers Bangalore have been eliminated from the tournament

Australia face selection squeeze after impressive return of Mitchell Marsh

Andrew McGlashan09-Jul-2023David Warner’s position could come under scrutiny for the Old Trafford Test with Australia facing a selection squeeze after the impressive return to the side of Mitchell Marsh.Cameron Green, who sat out the Headingley match opening the door for Marsh’s comeback, is on track to be fit for the fourth Test after a minor hamstring strain. He bowled and did sprints ahead of the final day’s play in Leeds as well as briefly acting as a substitute fielder.But Marsh’s stunning century on the opening day, in his first Test for four years, has made him very tough to leave out which means someone else will have to make way unless they opt not to bring Green straight back in.The spotlight has again returned to Warner after his twin failures at Headingley where he twice edged Stuart Broad to slip from around the wicket, making it 17 times he has now fallen to Broad.Related

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However, that followed some useful contributions earlier in the series, led by the 66 on the opening day at Lord’s in tricky batting conditions, although he was dropped in the slips on 20. His overall Test average since 2021 remains 28.17 and that includes the double century against South Africa at the SCG.Captain Pat Cummins, who is not a selector, said that Australia would use the break before Old Trafford to take stock of their options as they look to avoid the Ashes going to a decider at The Oval.”You keep all options open,” Cummins said. “We’ve got nine or 10 days now, so we’ll take a deep breath. We’ll go away for a few days.”But everyone comes back into it. Greeny should be fit for Manchester. Josh [Hazlewood] will be back in there as well. So we should have a full roster and we’ll have a look at the wicket and have a chat and work out the best XI.”Marsh’s third Test century, all of which have been against England, came from 102 balls while he also chipped in with a couple of wickets.Cummins conceded he would be difficult to omit. “Yeah, it’s possible but, I mean, it was a pretty impressive week, wasn’t it?” he said.David Warner smiles after being dismissed by Stuart Broad for the 17th time•Getty Images

Warner has mapped out his retirement plan, announcing earlier in the tour that he hoped to finish against Pakistan on his home ground of the SCG in January. Prior to that, the original Ashes squad was only selected up to the end of the Lord’s Test which raised further questions over Warner, but he did enough in the early matches to dampen talk somewhat.The situation Australia now find themselves in is not dissimilar to what happened on the 2019 tour when Marnus Labuschagne performed so well as Steven Smith’s temporary replacement that someone else had to make way for Smith’s return. On that occasion the fall guy was Usman Khawaja.Meanwhile, Cummins indicated that he remained on track to play all six Tests on the tour which he had stated as his aim before the World Test Championship final against India. He is the only Australian quick to play all four matches to date. England have had Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson in all three of their attacks, but the latter is now under an injury cloud after suffering back spasms at Headingley.”I feel great, actually, probably better than I would have hoped,” Cummins said. “I don’t have any niggles or injuries. So fingers crossed, should be sweet.”Elsewhere in the squad, Michael Neser has been released to play the next round of County Championship matches for Glamorgan while Josh Inglis, who flew home after Edgbaston for the birth of his child, will return on Friday. Jimmy Peirson filled in for him as reserve wicketkeeper.Australia’s players will break up for a few days and make use of the longer gap between these two Tests before beginning preparations for Old Trafford – the venue where they were able to retain the Ashes in 2019.Cummins gave a succinct response when asked if he felt England’s win would shift the momentum in the series. “No, not really. It’s 2-1.”

Ricardo Vasconcelos and Saif Zaib shared a fifty partnership as Northamptonshire recovered from losing two early wickets before rain curtailed the opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Nottinghamshire.Vasconcelos – having been dropped twice as he progressed to 37 not out – batted right through the morning session at Wantage Road to add exactly 50 for the third wicket with Zaib, who posted an unbeaten 22.That stand enabled Northamptonshire to reach lunch at 86 for two, with Luke Fletcher and Dan Paterson taking a wicket apiece, but further progress proved impossible after a heavy downpour during the interval left the playing surface saturated.Umpires Neil Pratt and Richard Illingworth abandoned play for the day shortly after 3pm.Despite missing England pace duo Stuart Broad and Olly Stone from their bowling attack, Nottinghamshire skipper Steven Mullaney opted to insert the home side after winning the toss.Emilio Gay, back at the top of the order after a knee injury had ruled him out of Northamptonshire’s first four matches this season, displayed no signs of rust as he dispatched Fletcher to the fence three times.However, Fletcher probed away to get his man, moving one away to find the edge into Joe Clarke’s gloves and that dismissal, along with a consistent spell from first-change Paterson, stifled the scoring rate.Paterson picked up the visitors’ second wicket with a beautiful delivery that seared back a long way to crash into Sam Whiteman’s off stump – and they should have had a third after squandering two opportunities to remove Vasconcelos.Brett Hutton spilled a routine slip catch after the left-hander wafted outside off stump at Lyndon James and he was afforded a second life when Clarke failed to hold onto a leg glance off Paterson.It took Vasconcelos 89 balls to register his first boundary, belting a rare stray delivery from Paterson through the covers, but the second and third quickly followed in Fletcher’s next over as he and Zaib built a solid partnership.There was another scare for Vasconcelos just before lunch, having second thoughts about a quick single as he stumbled halfway down the wicket, but regained his footing to scamper to safety at the non-striker’s end while Matthew Montgomery’s throw flew wide.

WA offspinner took seven wickets in the Sheffield Shield final and has fast become one of the best spinners in Australian domestic cricket after playing in a hat-trick of Shield titles

Tristan Lavalette24-Mar-2024

On day one of the Sheffield Shield final, offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli woke up at 4am with a fever. He was feeling rotten to the core, but with Western Australia bidding for a hat-trick of titles there was no way he was going to remain bedridden.”I was a little bit iffy…but came to my senses that if I was to pull out I’ve got five days of watching the boys hopefully win,” Rocchiccioli said. “I just wanted to contribute. I said, ‘Roll up and cop it. Just push through and [there is] plenty of time to relax after the final’.”Rocchiccioli grittily took his place and was thankful that Tasmania decided to send WA into bat as he enjoyed precious rest on day one. When it was his time to bowl, Rocchiccioli produced a lionhearted effort with 22 overs on a pivotal day two and claimed the only two wickets in the middle session to thwart Tasmania, who could never recover.Related

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Whiteman: We have to be one of the great WA teams

Gannon and Rocchiccioli lead Western Australia's surge to Sheffield Shield hat-trick

Rocchiccioli finished with 4 for 48 from 28 overs to help WA gain a decisive 161 first-innings lead. His effort was even more heroic with Rocchiccioli also battling cramps in both his calves.”It was pretty hard at times. At one stage I went through a litre of lemonade to get some sugar back into me,” he said. “I managed to get through it. Playing in a Shield final, you’ve got no excuses. You roll up and do your job. I found a way and that’s what makes me happy.”Rocchiccioli helped WA clinch their third straight title in remarkable fashion when he tore through Tasmania’s lower-order just before the scheduled close of play on day four. He finished with 3 for 55 to punctuate a performance that might have been Shield cricket’s equivalent to basketball legend Michael Jordan’s famous flu game.”I might have called it early doors,” he laughed when asked if the final was the ‘Corey Rocchiccioli flu game’. “I always joke and laughingly say that when I’m sick, I’m sort of out of my own head a little bit.”Rocchiccioli’s affable personality might soon make him something of a cult figure in Australian cricket as he starts to make a serious claim to being the successor to Nathan Lyon in the Test team. He outshined Todd Murphy, who performed well in six Tests last year, during the season as competition heats up with Australia scheduled for a Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year.Corey Rocchiccioli celebrates as WA close in•Getty Images

Rocchiccioli finished the season with 46 wickets at an average of 27.60. Only Ashley Mallett and Greg Matthews have taken more wickets in a Shield season for right-arm finger spinners. Rocchiccioli has become a WACA specialist, and also performed more consistently on the east coast surfaces, as he utilised his 6 foot 3 [1.9m] frame to generate awkward bounce, while he can deceive batters through canny drift.His performances would have caught the attention of national selector Tony Dodemaide, who was in the stands during the match.”I was so sick that I stayed away from him [Dodemaide] as much as possible,” Rocchiccioli joked. “Gaz [Lyon] has the spot, Murph is probably ahead of me at the moment. My job is to take wickets for Western Australia. So it’s as simple as knock down the door and take the opportunity if it ever comes.”The expectations I’ve probably put on myself are higher than anyone’s ever going to put on me. Obviously I want to play for Australia, but right now it doesn’t bother me too much.”Rocchiccioli’s outstanding performances have consigned left-arm spinner Ashton Agar to the outer for WA. Agar’s last first-class match was the SCG Test between Australia and South Africa in January 2023, with his red-ball future in doubt. But Rocchiccioli paid an emotional tribute to Agar, who is his club cricket teammate and close friend.”One of our [WA] values is humility. And if you ever want to see [that] exemplified it’s Ash Agar. He’s looked after me like I’m his little brother,” a teary-eyed Rocchiccioli said. “Even [on day four], I wasn’t bowling at my best, he came out and gave me a couple of tips so that I could get my bowling back on track.”I’m sure he wanted to be out there, but he kept showing up and kept giving me all the love…the respect.”Rocchiccioli, 26, has something of the Midas touch having been part of a hat-trick of titles in his first three seasons. This overwhelming success was beyond his wildest dreams with Rocchiccioli not coming through WA’s strong pathway program. In his early 20s he worked at Bunnings – a prevalent hardware store in Australia – and also studied a sports science degree.”I was able to contribute in the role that I had to play the whole year, which makes it the best out of the three [titles],” he said. “I’ve got three Sheffield Shield titles at 26. Yeah, this is pretty cool.”